Falling Forever
by jillbetsonalice
Summary: Takes place at the beginning of Twilight. What if Alice would have seen the Nomads before that day in the baseball field? What if the Cullens would have left immediately? What if Edward met Bella again in the most unlikely of places? Will be M later.
1. Chapter 1

_Edward's POV_

_--_

_4 years ago. . ._

"_Vampire." The word had tripped off her tongue clumsily. Her breathing suggested she knew it was the truth and it both scared her and intrigued heart the same time. Her pulse had quickened exponentially and I had swallowed a couple of pools of venom to prevent myself from drooling all over the place like some sort of dog. Bella stood in front of me; the light breeze that blew through the cool air wafted the slightest amount of her scent toward me. I could hear her breathing, see her eyes blinking as she tried to look at me, and I could detect the smallest hint of relaxation as her shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch. Her tongue snaked out of her perfect mouth and swept across her lower lip nervously. Her teeth rested there, on the edge of her lip, for a moment and then receded back into her mouth._

"_I don't care." She said. I tilted my head toward her, curious as to the meaning behind her words. She should have been gone as soon as she had discovered that the definition of "vampire" that she had pinned to my family was, in fact, correct. But here she stood, stubborn and persistent, and beautiful._

"_You aren't terrified? Disbelieving? You don't want to run screaming far away from me? You don't want to go get your father's gun to see if it'll do any damage?" I asked. I stepped closer to her, she probably didn't notice my movement but I was still relieved that she didn't flinch away from me. Then, she turned to stare at me and I froze._

"_No." She whispered. I stared into the brown pools of her eyes and they reflected nothing but the truth. Bella Swan did not fear me, she did not hate me, she believed me, and she was not afraid. To say I found her attractive would have been an extreme understatement. To say I found her interesting would not even begin to cover the amount of attraction I felt for her. I had been waiting ninety years for someone like Bella to come into my life. She was gorgeous, funny, clumsy, adorable, smart, interesting…and human. Her humanity proved to be the only thing I feared about her, and I didn't particularly fear her humanity as much as I feared what I would do because she was human. I feared I would hurt her somehow, that I would put her in danger beyond her wildest imagination, but I knew right then and there that I would try my hardest to make sure that no harm ever came to Isabella Swan._

"_May I?" I asked as I stepped ever closer to her. I felt her breath hitch just a bit as I came practically nose to nose with the girl. She nodded, obviously aware of what I was about to do. She wasn't stupid, she knew to stay perfectly still, "Good girl." I said. I inclined my head and touched my lips softly to hers. Just her lip gloss alone tasted magnificent and I instantly craved more. Our kiss deepened until I knew if I didn't pull away I would take her right there on the forest floor. I pulled away and stared at Bella, her cheeks were flushed pink and she self-consciously tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. I grinned at her._

"_Sorry." I whispered. She laughed a bit and stared at the ground,_

"_That was...nice." She told me. I grinned more and, feeling giddy, grabbed her and hoisted her onto my back._

"_Ready to go back?" I asked. She clasped her hands around my neck,_

"_Only if you'll stay with me." She whispered as if she didn't want me to hear. I took off at top speed back to the Swan residence._

_Bella and I had watched three movies together, I had watched her while she made herself dinner, and then we had laid together in her bed and I held her until she fell asleep. I felt whole in that moment, I would remember it for all of eternity. I checked the locks several times before slipping silently from her window into the chilly night air._

_I took my time going back home, I didn't feel the need to rush, I felt giddy even like I was some silly human with a school crush. In a way, I was and I supposed I should have felt a bit embarrassed but I didn't, all I thought of was Bella. I had been so preoccupied with my thoughts of Bella that I hadn't even heard Alice's thoughts as I ran lightly up the front porch steps. I opened the door to my family's home to see everyone standing in the living room looking worried. My good mood deflated instantly,_

"_What's wrong?" I questioned. Alice, the one who understood me, the one I could confide in the most, stepped forward. Her small hand rested against my shoulder as she stared at me, her expression already filled with apology,_

"_Edward, we have to leave. Now." She told me. Then, my world fell away…_

**Present Day **

"Edward, Edward, EDWARD!" Alice's voice brought me out of my reverie. I shook my head a bit to clear the memories, as if swatting away cobwebs from a door frame. I stared outside the window of Emmett's Jeep and sighed, the first day at a new high school was almost always the worst day of the year. Almost. The worst day was still, always, the anniversary of the day we left Forks, Washington forever.

I knew Alice had been right when she had told me we had to leave. I knew it, but I didn't want to accept it. We had left that night, I hadn't been allowed to tell Bella what was wrong, I wasn't allowed to even call her. I had been packed and crammed into the car and we had set off once more, the Cullen caravan on our way to a new life. It had been to protect Bella, it had been because there were dangers coming that were out of our control, we did it because my family cared. It still stung, more than they would ever know.

"Come on, the bell is about to ring and I really don't want to be late for French." Alice pulled back her front seat so I could climb out of the rather large vehicle. Of course, people were already staring and I cursed under my breath that Emmett had won the coin toss for who got to drive to school that day.

"You know my Volvo can fit all of us just fine." I growled. Emmett let out a loud laugh and it startled Jasper who had just been extracting himself from his awkward seat in the middle of the back.

"Yeah, if we wanted to drive a girly car to school I assume we would have taken yours Eddie." Emmett said draping his arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and removed myself from his brotherly embraced. I normally would joke around and participate in horseplay with my brothers but, since my daydream about Bella had been particularly hurtful that morning, I wasn't in any sort of mood.

"I should have stayed home today." I groaned. Alice skipped beside me holding Jasper's hand,

"You can't play hooky on the first day of school Edward! Come on, you have English first don't you? That shouldn't be too hard at all, you can relax and space out, or whatever you want to do." My youngest sister had a point, I could have taught English if I wanted to. But I hated spacing out because I often thought of Bella, I didn't want to know the pain I had caused her but it didn't stop me from constantly thinking about it.

"But they are already half way through the semester here. We're coming in as "transfer students" so it's technically not the FIRST day of school." I pointed out. Alice sighed, frustrated, and led the way inside.

My siblings and I parted ways as soon as we entered the brick building. It was like countless other high school we had found ourselves in over the years. Brick on the outside, ugly painted walls on the inside, tile floors, the odd smell of cleaning chemicals, and over cartoon like drawings of high school mascots on the gym floors and cafeteria walls. Thank God we didn't eat cafeteria food. Alice skipped off the French, Emmett to Biology, Jasper to History which he always hated when they got to the Civil War part, and Rosalie to Algebra. Which left me to make my way through the groups of giggling girls and whispering boys to the English room where, hopefully, I could find some peace.

I found a seat toward the back of the poster covered classroom. It was a small school, it reminded me of Forks, so there didn't leave much room for being able to blend in. I sighed, it would have been so much easier if we would have chosen to be in college this time around. I pulled a notebook from my book bag, along with a pen, and proceeded to doodle while the classroom filled with the white noise of other students. The teacher hadn't made themselves known yet and the warning bell had already sounded, signaling that students had five minutes to get to their respective classrooms.

Finally, the murmur died down as the familiar sound of heels against floor sounded. I didn't even raise my head, I really didn't care about first impressions at the moment.

"I'm so sorry class I seem to be running late this morning. It is the first day I have you to myself as a class so forgive me if I'm not all in order." I froze at the sound of the voice, if it was possible for vampires to feel ill I certainly did.

**Bella's POV**

**--**

I couldn't believe I was running late on my first day. Well, technically it technically wasn't my first day, I had been observing the class all semester but I was finally taking over without the teacher being in the room…and I was late. I hadn't even read the class roster to learn the name of the new student I was to be getting. Oh well, I'd find out soon enough.

I wrenched open the door to the classroom and didn't even bother looking up as I rushed to my desk,

"I'm so sorry class I seem to be running late this morning. It is the first day I have you to myself as a class so forgive me if I'm not all in order." I said scrambling through my mess for my attendance list,

"Brian Austin?" I started off,

"Here." he said,

"Rebecca Baker?"

"Here."

"Caleb Brown?"

"Good morning."

"Morning Caleb, Cara Bussler?"

"Right here."

"Diane Carmen?"

"Here."

"Alan Coburn?"

"Here." I nodded,

"Edward…" I froze mid-name and swallowed, it had to be a typo, a cruel, cruel, typo. I raised my eyes for the first time that morning, "Cullen." I said. And there he was, staring right back at me, looking just as he had four years prior. He was staring back at me, just as shocked looking as I'm sure I appeared,

"…I'm here." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Bella's POV**_

**--**

The entire rest of the class seemed to disappear except for Edward. In that moment it was just the two of us staring at each other, shocked face mirrored against shocked face. I felt sick to my stomach, I wanted to run…actually I wanted to smack Edward, then I wanted to run. I wanted answers, I wanted to know why he had left so abruptly, I wanted know why I had never heard from him again, I wanted to know why he had hurt me so badly.

His eyes were the same rich butterscotch color that they had been the last night we had been together. He still looked seventeen and I felt a little self conscious that I probably looked four years older than I had the last time he had seen me. Edward didn't move an inch, his eyebrows were gathered together and his eyes seemed to hold every conceivable emotion that could possible exist within the space that we currently found ourselves in. I half expected him to bolt. I wouldn't have blamed him if he would have rushed out that door without even a backwards glance, God knows I wanted to, but Edward stayed where he was, just staring at me like I was some figment of his imagination. Finally, one of my students saved me by clearing his throat. I blinked and was instantly aware of my other students sitting around me eager to start the class. The air in the classroom was thick with tension and I chewed on my bottom lip while I consulted the rest of my roster. Edward didn't speak and every time I would glance at him, as I called out the rest of the names, he would still be staring at me, not moving and not breathing.

I had to pretend that it was just an ordinary day in the classroom, though it was far from it. I had to go on with my lessons as planned, I had to act like everything was normal, and I was going to do my best to totally ignore the fact that Edward Cullen, the vampire that I loved, that I'm sure loved me, was staring at me. I turned to the chalkboard and began scribbling notes about the outline they were supposed to be doing for their term paper. My hand writing was bound to look shaky and I cursed the bronze haired boy sitting amongst the other mortal students.

"Alright guys, as you can see outlines for term papers are fairly simple. Give me the sections of your paper, a bit about what your going to talk about, and please don't forget your thesis statement. You're juniors you should know how to write a paper by now but to be sure bring it on up to me before you turn it in and we'll make sure there aren't any problems." I looked around at the sea of blank 'I just woke up fifteen minutes ago' stares and did my best to avoid Edward's never changing stare, I was afraid that if I stared at him too long the urge to smack him across the face would become unbearable and I wasn't sure how my students would react to such a thing. The girl that sat beside Edward was staring at him, looking slightly terrified that he probably hadn't breathed yet, she scooted her desk ever so slightly away from him and I almost laughed.

"Any questions?" I asked, a young boy by the name of Bobby raised his hand,

"Is there anything else we need to turn in?" He asked. I shuffled through my stack of notes, quickly looking for something that would occupy my students' time so that maybe, just maybe, I could sneak away for a moment or so to wrap my head around the situation I found myself in.

"Yes." I lied, I hadn't assigned anything else but I was currently in charge of the classroom and I could, theoretically, make them work on anything I saw fit. "You all should be working on your note cards, I want fifteen done by the time the bell rings." Several groans sounded across the classroom, I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on, I know you've been assigned more than that before. Does everyone remember how to do a note care?" I asked. I was met with blank stares and I couldn't help but notice that Edward still hadn't moved. Creepy little fucker.

I picked up a piece of chalk and turned back to my board.

**Edward's POV**

**--**

I hadn't moved, I hadn't breathed, and I was fairly certain that the girl net to me suspected I was dead. She wouldn't be too far off but I sure wasn't going to let her know that. The moment I had heard Bella's voice everything that had happened within the course of the last four years flooded back to me. The sound of her laughter in the meadow the night before we left looped over and over in my mind, she had been so happy. Then I had left…I couldn't bare to think of how she had felt after I left. But here she was, in front of me, acting as my teacher (Hmm, not a bad fantasy, Bella in a little skirt…) I mentally scolded myself for that thought, I had obviously been hanging out with Emmett too much. Bella had graduated high school and was now close to graduating college, she was still breath-taxingly beautiful and extremely intelligent. I was so proud to see how she handled herself in front of the class but I couldn't help but feel protective of her as the thoughts of my fellow male students filtered through my mind.

I could have taken off, part of me wanted to. I could have rushed back out to Emmett's Jeep and waited for the end of the day, I could have made my way back to our new house and begged Esme to let me be the "home-schooled" child this time around and, there was no denying it, parted of me longed for me to do so. But the stronger, more persistent side of me wanted to talk to her. I wanted to tell her everything about that night, I wanted to know if she had gotten the note I had left, and, to be quite honest, I just wanted to talk to her. I wanted to talk to her about the weather, about what she had for breakfast, about how her face still blushed in that cute little way when she started to get nervous. I wanted to talk about how I still felt for her, and I wanted to know if she still felt the same way.

She had turned back to the board and any idiot could figure out that she was trying her hardest to ignore me. I needed to get her attention, I wanted to talk to her alone and I didn't want to wait. I had to be crafty, I didn't really feel like standing up and shouting, "Bella! I really need to talk to you about that night I left you after I told you I was a vampire." would be that effective. There was only one was I was going to get Bella to pay attention to me, I was going to have to act like a student. I couldn't believe what I was doing but I quickly disassembled my ink pen anyway. I tore a small bit of notebook paper from a blank page and quickly put in my mouth creating the perfect spitball. I rolled my eyes at my own actions, I was fairly certain that Bella Swan was the only person that could make me stoop this low. I put the spit wad in the empty pen cover and shot it directly at my target. It hit a lot harder than any spitball should have and I'm pretty sure it cracked the board ever so slightly. Bella stopped in the middle of jotting down notes on the board and her small, perfect, mouth fell open. My fellow students turned to stare at me, obviously shocked that the new guy had made such a bold move. I couldn't help but smirk at myself. Bella whirled around and, for a moment, she did look like a terrifying teacher,

"Mr. Cullen I don't know how they did things in your old school." She should have known, she was a student there herself, "But I really don't feel like dealing with that type of behavior. May I speak to you in the hallway please?" She asked. I could tell that she was angry about more than just the spitball.

"Of course Ms. Swan." I said in a very conversational tone. She walked toward the door and I followed. We stopped just outside the view of the door and the ears of my fellow students. She turned to me and, without missing a beat, smacked me clear across the face.

"Ow, dammit!" She swore. I could tell she was upset and I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and assure her that it was me, that I was real, that I would explain everything. "Why the hell are you here?" She hissed.

"Bella please, just let me explain, please." I whispered. She shook her head,

"Yes, Edward, please do explain to me where the hell you went? I mean, everything you told me about you and your family, everything we did that night. The way you kissed me. My god Edward, I thought all of that meant something. What happened? Where did you go? You could have called! You could have left a note! Something, anything but there was nothing!" A older woman walked by and looked at Bella like she was insane, "And don't you ever behave like that again in my classroom do you understand me?" She raised her voice a bit to make it appear like she was scolding me for academic reasons. I stared at her for a moment, her cheeks looked like they were burning up, she looked hurt and angry but relieved at the same time. She had every right to be made, she had every right to want answers, and I was determined to give her everything she wanted, but one thing she had said had me confused.

"You never got my note?" I breathed. She stared at me, her eyes relaxing the slightest bit,

"Never." She whispered…

_**4 years ago**_

_**. . . . **"Edward come on we have to leave." Emmett shouted up the stairs. I growled in response. Everything that I could possibly need, besides my CD's, was stuffed into two duffel bags that were laying on my bed. We'd buy new clothes, we'd get another piano, all I needed were my CD's (that had already been packed along with Jasper's into a few boxes), my books (that Carlisle had taken with his own), an assortment of knickknacks that were stuffed into the duffel bags, and my journal. My journal detailed all the occurrences of the past couple weeks. Everything that had to do with Bella was housed within the pages of my journal and I held it tightly in my grasp as I finished addressing a letter to Bella that I prayed she would one day find. _

_"My Bella -_

_I apologize for the urgency of my departure. If I had it my way I would stay with you but it appears that is not the case. Please do not think that this is, in anyway, my decision. Sometimes, in life, we are forced to do things that we don't want to do in order to keep those we love safe. It is by leaving Forks, and you, behind forever that I am actually protecting your life. There are those in my world that seek to harm vampires that choose not to partake in the consumption of human blood, they also seek to harm those humans that we choose to come in contact with and trust me Bella, they would be very interested in you. Believe me when I say that I care for you deeply, that I love you more than I thought it was possible. In a perfect world we would be together, unfortunately the world in not perfect and we must say our goodbyes now. My family and I are leaving Forks for good, I believe we are going farther North, anywhere to lead the ones that are coming off of your trail. I hope to one day find you again, that the time may come when our eyes will meet across a crowded room and we will run to each other and the world will fall away leaving only you and I together. If this is not possible, if in your lifetime we can find no possible way to meet again, then maybe when my eternity is at it's end and my heart is weighed against the feather I will be waived of my sins and allowed to see you again. For me, that would be heaven. _

_Live your life Bella, for me, for yourself, for your future._

_I love you Isabella. Be safe, use your mind and your wits,_

_- Edward Cullen."_

_I sealed the letter and grabbed my bags. I took a final look around my bedroom, I was just starting to get comfortable in Forks, it was finally beginning to feel like home, and I knew my siblings felt the same. I sighed and flipped off the light. Running down the stairs I heard the familiar sound of Alice's voice,_

_"Edward!" She called, obviously mid-yell before she saw me coming down the stairs, "Oh, there you are. Come on we have to get going. Edward, I'm so sorry…" She trailed off and I knew by the expression on her face that she would have been in tears if she were human,_

_"Come on Alice, let's get going." I told her. Carlisle was still finishing up grabbing random objects that held special sentimental value to our family and I stopped for a moment to wait for him,_

_"Go ahead son, I'll be there in a moment." He said not looking up from a box. I nodded and grabbed a roll of tape from the table. I followed Alice out to the cars and stuck my letter to the front door. _

_"Edward, can you help me in the garage please?" Esme called from our large garage. I sighed, handed my stuff to my sister, and jogged around the corner of the house. _

_**Carlisle's POV**_

_**--**_

_I finally finished packing Esme's trinkets and taped up the box. It was a difficult thing, leaving Forks, more difficult than it typically was to relocate our family. The kids were just starting to get settled, they were even making friends with some of their fellow students…and then there was Edward. Edward who I had hoped, throughout his entire existence, would find someone that made him happy. He had finally achieved that, and we were now forced to rip that away from him. Bella could never know why we left, she could never know where we disappeared to, it was all too risky. _

_I hoisted the box onto my shoulder and flipped off the rest of the lights in our beautiful home. Maybe, one day, in a hundred years or so we could return to Forks. I opened the front door and noticed something taped there, a note of some sort. _

_"Bella Swan" it read on the front. I sighed, she could never, never, know what was going on. _

_"I'm so sorry Edward." I whispered as I ripped the letter from the door. I stuck into my pocket and prayed Edward wasn't currently reading my thoughts. I packed the car and pulled it around to the garage to pick up Esme and Edward. I nodded to Edward to follow me in his Volvo and Emmet would follow him in his Jeep and Rosalie in her BMW. Then, we were off, once again, to find the place we would call 'home'._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Bella's POV**_

_**The night before**_

_**--**_

"_BELLA! BELLA! ISABELLA!!"__it was the same dream I had experienced dozens of times before yet it never feared to terrify me. The situation was equally as eerie the hundredth time as it had been the first time. I was standing in the darkness of the forest, the moon was hidden behind dense clouds and mist swirled around me from all directions. The air was chilly and thick with apprehension as I stood alone, terrified. I could never figure what I was afraid of exactly, all I had determined so far was that Edward was out there, somewhere, in the darkness calling my name and he could never find me. His voice was what always scared me the most, he sounded hoarse almost as he screamed my name at the top of his lungs. He sounded panicked, like if he didn't find me immediately both of our lives were sure to end. Another big problem was that I never seemed to be able to scream back, to tell Edward where I was. Something had me frozen where I stood, unable to run, and unable to scream. . ._

_And then I woke up…._

_Sweat poured down me, soaking my hair and my t-shirt. I flipped on my light and looked around. The apartment was silent which meant that my apartment mate had chosen to stay out for the night. There were times that I appreciated her promiscuous behavior, it meant that I never had to explain why I paced around the living room at all hours of the morning. I peered at my alarm clock, afraid of what it may tell me, and groaned that it read 3:30 A.M. I was taking over the class I had been observing for my student teaching and on top of that I had a new student joining. I doubted I would get back to sleep so I got up and made my way to the small bathroom. The bathroom light was harsh on my eyes and it took a moment or so to adjust. I flipped on the shower and adjusted the heat to as hot as it would go thinking that some steam may clear my head. _

_I too often found myself in this situation. Why did I let Edward Cullen have this big of an impact on me? I hadn't known him that long though he was often all I ever thought about. I always replayed the days after I had discovered him, and his entire family, to be gone over and over throughout the week. I was amazed at how intense the memories of just a few days could be, I would never forget his face or his voice or the look of complete joy that had filled his gaze as he had held me in my bed. Then, he had been gone. All the Cullens had disappeared and no one knew where they had gone. I had finally gathered up the nerve to visit their home and found it to be eerily silent. Edward's piano remained, as did all of the furniture, and the television set. The Xbox was even laying on the floor as if someone had been in the middle of playing a game. It was as if the Cullens had just vanished into thin air. _

_The water ran cold but I stayed put. I did this every time I took a shower, the pounding sound of the water against the tile drowned out Edward's constant screaming in my ear. I had trained my body to withstand the chill of the cold water just so I wouldn't have to listen to the voice of the one I longed to see the most. I heard him everywhere I went. In the car I would blast the radio so I would be able to concentrate on anything but his voice, on campus my iPod's volume was pushed to the max so I could drown out his constant calls. It hurt too much to hear his voice, my mind was playing such cruel tricks on me and it pained me to hear him call my name in the rough, frantic voice I constantly heard. _

_I repeatedly went through different scenarios in my head about what all of this could possibly mean. I wondered if Edward was really searching for me, or if he never cared at all, I wondered if I was simply losing my mind, and, of course, I always wondered if Edward had just been some wild figment of my imagination. If the boy with beautiful bronze hair and warm butterscotch eyes had ever existed to begin with. But the latter of my ideas always seemed to get dismissed. Something inside of me simply knew that Edward Cullen was, indeed, real. Thinking of Edward was like hearing a familiar song; something that you may have never known existed if you hadn't stumbled upon it while scanning the radio, but as soon as you heard it you instantly knew all the lyrics and screamed them at the top of your lungs. But, like all good songs, they eventually get lost in the shuffle of the radio frequency and dissolve into rough static that never seems to clear. Edward was familiar, Edward was comforting, but Edward was lost in the jumbled static of my own chaotic existence; just another fuzzy part that always seemed just out of reach._

_Finally, I exited the shower and made my way back to my room. I redressed in a clean pair of pajamas, extracted the tangles from my clean hair, and laid back down on my uncomfortable twin bed. I hit power button on the radio and discovered that it was, as always, fuzzy. This was typical, I was convinced that our apartment complex was a dead zone for cell phones and radios as I could never get reception on either. Still, I always tried to find something to lull myself to sleep so I embarked on my always unfulfilling quest to find some sort of music. _

_I was halfway to sleep when, to my surprise, an all too familiar tune began to filter through the speakers. The song was weak at first, just a soft sound flowing through the static but it was enough to warrant my full attention. I moved the dial delicately to see if I could pick it up more clearly. My persistence instantly paid off and I was rewarded with a familiar, somewhat heart wrenching melody. I was reminded of Edward, of course, as "Claire De Lune" sent me back off into an interesting sleep filled with distinct, and familiar imagery of my lost vampire. I guess it was true, there was no rest for the weary. _

_--_

**Present Time**

I stared at Edward in disbelief. I could feel my brows pull together as I scrutinized his own shocked expression. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, and his eyes were filled with regret, sorrow, shame, and the slightest bit of hope and relief. As we stood together, face to face, I felt like we had been jettisoned back to our own days in high school, where we had coexisted as two students. I felt seventeen again, just as I had when I had first laid eyes on Edward Cullen and his siblings, I felt exposed and confused, I felt apprehensive and curious, I felt every emotion that I had felt as a scared, self-conscious teenager during my first week at Forks High School. It was the same song and danced that we had experienced the first time we had met, except now I was the teacher and he was the student. Was it possible that I could teach him something about what I had been through? Could I provide him any insight into what my life had been like in the four years that he had been away? Or would he end up being the one to teach me something? To let me into his heart and his life fully and let me know every answer to every question that I had for him would be a difficult thing for Edward to do, I could tell that much. But I hoped, that in the end, it would be worth it. We had to start somewhere, didn't we? And at the beginning of the end seemed like the perfect place,

"Note? No, I didn't get a note Edward." I said in a rushed whisper. I could only imagine what Edward and I looked like to anyone that peered out of their classroom at that moment. We were either a bickering couple on the verge of a big blow up or I was very, very, strict teacher scolding Edward for some, unbeknownst to the, mishap. I silently hope it was the latter so that no one became suspicious of what kind of relationship the student teacher and the new student had.

Edward let out a low growl and his eyes flashed black for a moment. My heart sped up and I felt a rush of blood flood through me, I was sure my cheeks were blushing and Edward took notice. He stared at me for a moment before he spoke, his voice was low and he sounded angry,

"Bella I have to go, I have to get to the bottom of something. I'm sorry for any distress I may have caused you." He said. I shook my head back and forth. I wasn't going to let him leave, I couldn't' stand to think that I had him back in my life only to have him leave just as quickly as he appeared. In a fit of desperation I grabbed his wrist as he began to turn away from me. He turned back quickly and his nostrils flared a bit as his gaze shifted from my hand to my eyes,

"Oh no you don't! You aren't leaving again, I want answers Edward Cullen and I want them now. How do I know you won't skip town again?" I whispered. Edward swallowed and the look of regret overpowered every other emotion on his face. He sighed and gently removed my hand from his arm,

"Bella, sweetheart, I promise you that this time I will not leave for good. I promise you that I will be in your classroom bright and early tomorrow morning eager to learn." Edward told me. I was well aware that he probably knew more about the English language than I did, and that there was no way I would be able to really concentrate on my lesson plans with him in the room. I was thankfully in that moment that my class seemed to be fairly self sufficient and I was certain that they would rarely need my guidance with the papers they were writing. At the same time, though, I wasn't sure if I should thoroughly believe Edward. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me, telling me that he was speaking the truth this time, that he would return in the morning, I was still wary of the whole situation. It frightened me to think that I had gone four years, wondering where he was, only to have him land back in my life with no precursor whatsoever. He was just here, and I really had no idea how to deal with that.

"Bella I have to go, I really do, I need some answers of my own before I can even begin to explain to you what is going on, where I've been, and why we left in the first place. Just trust me, please." He pleaded with me and the look on his face convinced me that he would, in fact, return in the morning. I nodded, he squeezed my hand gently, and then he was gone. I prayed that my instincts were right and that I hadn't just lost Edward again forever. I sighed and re-entered my classroom to a silent, hard-working, class.

"Did I frighten all of you into working that hard or are you really that interested in the construction of outlines?" I asked. A couple people giggled lightly but most continued working. One of the boys glanced up,

"Where's the new kid? Did you kick him out? Wow you are hardcore, you don't mess around do you?" He asked quickly. I smirked and sat down at the desk,

"No, no, I didn't kick him out. I was in the middle of speaking to Edward about proper classroom behavior when he suddenly started feeling sick. I sent him to the nurse." I lied. I figured it was easier then saying ,'Oh Edward used to go to high school with me, he's a vampire, he left randomly in the middle of the night after confessing his feelings for me.' The boy mouthed 'oh' and went back to work. I let out a sigh and looked at the clock; it was only thirty minutes after eight and it already felt like I had been at the school for hours and hours. The rest of the hour ticked by slowly and, when the bell finally rang, I felt relief. My students bid their goodbyes and filed out of the room leaving me with four minutes before my next group of students appeared.

I let out a soft sob as I laid my head against my desk. For once I welcomed the silence of solidarity with open arms because, for the first time in four years, the sound of Edward's voice was no longer frantic. His screams of my name had been replaced by the sound of his saying "Bella, sweetheart." over and over. . .

**Edward's POV**

**--**

I fled through the front doors of the school and made my way across the parking lot. I shouldn't have been surprised to see Alice standing by the Jeep patiently waiting for me to make an appearance. I hadn't been paying attention to her thoughts but I should have realized she would have seen me leaving school and been automatically curious as to why. Then again, she should have known why, she should have seen Bella, she should have warned me about what the morning had held for me but she had told me nothing.

"Where you going?" She asked me conversationally as I brushed by her. I growled in response and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice raise her eyebrows.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered. I knew she heard me because she had caught up with me in no time. She cocked her head to the side and her expression was colored with confusion,

"Tell you what? Why didn't I tell you what?" She asked. I rolled my eyes. I didn't like being mocked. I stopped just at the edge of the parking lot and turned sharply to glare at my youngest sister but found that her confused expression mirrored her extremely confused thoughts. She really had no idea that Bella was teaching at our current high school, she hadn't seen it coming, she didn't know.

"You didn't see Bella coming?" I asked her. Alice's eyes widened and she took a couple steps backward. She shook her small head back and forth and could see that she was completely confused,

"Bella? No Edward, I stopped looking in on her future after we left, I never really became attuned to her anyway so I didn't see anything like that. I'm sorry Edward, I guess I was too wrapped up worrying about Jazz today that I didn't see it coming. Are you alright? Did she totally freak? Oh my god we aren't going to leave again are we?" She babbled. I blinked at her a couple of times, I often wondered if Alice's mind moved as fast as her mouth if her head would explode.

"No, we aren't leaving. But I am in need of some answer Alice, the night we left did you take a note off the front door?" I asked her. Alice raised her eyebrow,

"No, I walked out the door before you and I never turned back…I miss Forks, I wish we could have stayed." She said. We all wished we could have stayed. But Alice was right, she had walked out the door before me. I needed to know who had taken the note, who had kept it from Bella's view. I could have been entirely wrong, it was a possibility that the note could simply have fallen off over the years or that Bella's curiosity never got the best of her and she never went to our house after we left. But, some instinct told me that my first idea was the right one, that someone had intended to keep my letter out of Bella's hands. My mind replayed the last moments of that night,

"_Go ahead son, I'll be there in a moment." Carlisle said._

. . . "Carlisle." I breathed. Why? Why would he have done such a thing? I needed to know why, I had to know what had driven him to cut my ties with the only woman to ever make me happy. Carlisle would have a good reason, "He better." I growled.

"Edward?" Alice's voice brought me back to our conversation.

"I have to go find Carlisle. I'll be home tonight. Get back to class." I told her, and with that I was gone, on my mission to get some answers.

I quickly ran into our new living room to find Esme putting books on the built-in bookshelves,

"Edward? What are you doing home dear? You're supposed to be in class, you know we don't like it when you skip." Esme said. I felt a rush of love for the woman who pose as my mother, she was always so kind and I loved her for that.

"Where's dad?" I asked. She looked up from her stacking, a look of worrying evident on her features.

"He's up in his office I assume. Edward is everything alright? You usually don't break routine like this. Will you tell me what's wrong?" She asked. I wanted to be able to tell her, I wanted to be able to break down and cry and yell and get the answers I needed but I couldn't, I was too angry to explain myself to her in the calm tone she deserved.

"I need to talk to him." I said through clenched teeth. She nodded and I ran up the stairs. I didn't like this new home as much as I had enjoyed the one in Forks, I did, however, like it better than the first one we had found after we relocated. I was certain everyone did, which was probably why we relocated again in the first place.

Carlisle's study door was open and I saw my father standing with his back to me, looking out the window into the wilderness below. I was still unsure if it had been him, but I was angry nonetheless and I was fairly certain that I deserved some answers.

"Edward? Can I help you son I thought you were at school…is something wrong?" He asked as he turned to face me. I didn't want to be mad at Carlisle, but I was furious that someone had been keeping something from me for four years, and I was even more agitated that it could have possibly been Carlisle.

"Why?" I ground out. Carlisle blinked at me,

"Why what son? What's wrong?" He asked. I couldn't expect him to know the answer. He wasn't like Alice or myself, he couldn't read thoughts and he couldn't see the future. Carlisle knew the present and that was it and, we all knew, that the present was liable to change at any given moment.

"Why did you take the note from the door the night we left? Why didn't you want Bella to know anything about why we left? Why didn't you tell me that you took it? Tell me Carlisle! Tell me why you did what you did! Or tell me I'm wrong! Tell me you don't know anything about any note and that it probably just blew off in the wind!" I yelled. I had to be mad, I had to yell, because I didn't know how to handle every emotion I felt in that moment.

Carlisle sighed, apparently aware of what I was talking about. He signaled to the chair in front of his desk,

"Edward, son, take a seat…and I'll tell you exactly why I did what I did."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys for all the kind words! You truly made my day!**

**I apologize for the short-ish chapter...I was up at all hours studying for a Geology midterm that I now need to go fail. Enjoy the chapter! I live for reviews!**

**xoxo**

**-Jill**

**PS: amble on over to LJ or look up twi-ction on here..read her new story "Mistaken Vows" it is AMAZING..for some reason I couldn't get it to link here.  
**

**Edward's POV**

I took the seat reserved for myself and my siblings and waited patiently for Carlisle to explain himself. It took him a moment before he finally sat down, I tried my hardest to read his thoughts but over the years he had become pretty skilled at blocking me. Finally, Carlisle let out a sigh and sat down behind his rather large desk.

I stared into the eyes of the only father I ever knew and what I found there shocked me. Regret was evident on his young features and it saddened me to see him so distressed about something he had caused. His eyes were soft and apologetic as he looked back at me, the amber of his irises were beginning to darken signaling that it would probably be a good idea if he hunted soon. The idea of Carlisle hunting was something I found hard to believe, I wasn't sure if I would have believed it at all if I hadn't seen it myself a handful of times. His kind soul and mostly calm demeanor led us all to believe that Carlisle would have the most difficult time giving into his animalistic tendencies. Myself, and my siblings, always found it slightly preposterous to think Carlisle capable of hurting something… that's why it was that much more difficult to see him so guilty about what he had done. It didn't matter if it was a deer, a human, or one of his own children Carlisle Cullen hated hurting anything.

"Edward, I did what I did because I was trying to protect our family as well as Bella. I know it was a selfish act of, one would say, desperation, but believe me when I say my aim was never to hurt you. Your hurt was simply a very unfortunate side effect of my actions and for that I am truly sorry." Carlisle told me. His eyes never left mine as he leaned across his desk and placed his hand on my shoulder. It was a rare, fatherly, move for Carlisle. He was always fatherly, we had done the cliché things like playing catch (though we played a few dozen feet apart), and we talked constantly but when he hugged me in a way, like he had done then, it truly showed which parts of his humanity remained intact.

"How could that have possibly saved us?" I whispered. Carlisle leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his palms against his eyes as if he was exhausted, which I knew wasn't true. He seemed to be considering his answer very carefully and it frustrated me that he had mastered blocking me so well.

"Because, Edward, by Bella not knowing anymore about us, besides what she already knew, you saved her from searching for us. Also, if your letter had fallen into the wrong hands the results could have been disastrous. Not only did you put where we were planning on moving but you put Bella's full name on the outside of the letter. If the nomads had ended up coming through town anyway they would have discovered our home and your note, which would have led them to Bella and then to us. Can you see why I did it Edward?" He asked. I did understand, I just didn't really want to admit that I did. I felt foolish for thinking that it was a good idea to tell Bella where we were going, or to mention her name at all in my note. For some reason, though, I just had to make sure she knew that I loved her. I never wanted her to think that I hadn't cared deeply for her. None of that mattered now, though, because Bella and I were, once again, in the same town.

"She's here…Bella, she's teaching at our high school." I blabbed. Carlisle nodded, unsurprised,

"Alice called me. Edward we can leave again if you wish." He told me.

"No." I said quickly. I didn't want to move again, nothing could make me do that to my family again. My siblings still resented me for uprooting them from our great life in Forks, they never said it to my face (except for Rosalie) but I knew that they all blamed me for our sudden departure from a home that we all adored.

"Very well, what do you suggest we do?" Carlisle asked. I took a moment to collect my thoughts. I looked around the room, taking time to observe all of the paintings that hung on the walls, and read the spines of a few books that I knew Carlisle had to have memorized by now. Finally I took a deep breath and answered my father's question,

"We stay. We go to school, you work, we live our lives. I love Bella, Carlisle and nothing will change that. After all, we have nothing to fear anymore, we destroyed the two nomads and the third was nowhere to be found. We looked everywhere for him Carlisle, the female even said he was dead." I told him. Carlisle nodded but I could that he was still worried,

"There is no way to know, for sure, if what the female said was the truth. But, if James is, in fact, dead then I guess what you said is true and that we have nothing to fear. But Edward, I'm telling you this now that just because we can see the tree line does not mean we are out of the woods yet. She could have been lying, we could have not looked hard enough, though I don't see how we could have missed him with Alice on our side, all I'm saying is you be careful. Especially if you intend to explore something with Bella." Carlisle looked at me and I could see in his eyes that he only wanted what was best for his family and for Bella.

"I don't know yet what to do about Bella. I don't know if she has moved on, if she still has feelings for me, or if she just wants me to stay away from her forever. Though, she acted like she wanted me back in her class first thing tomorrow morning." I couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought of Bella in her teacher mode. I had felt a rush of pride, as soon as the shock of seeing her had worn off, when she had first addressed the class. Her confidence had increased exponentially since I had left, perhaps she was better off without me after all.

I stood up from my seat, the conversation seemed to be at it's end and I had quite a bit of thinking to do. Carlisle made no moved to stop me as I made my way to the door,

"Edward, whatever you decide, make sure it's for the best for the both of you. You're a smart boy, but you're still a boy…don't let adolescent feelings cloud your judgment, you know when to do the right thing, I trust you." He told me. I offered him a weak smile and nodded,

"I know. Thank you Carlisle, and, though I don't think you should have kept the truth from me, I'm glad you explained yourself." I said. He inclined his head and I left closing the door softly behind me.

**Flashback**

**--**

"_WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?!" I screamed as I held the female tightly on the ground. Her hair was the color of fire and her eyes were black as obsidian. She hadn't fed in awhile and it was clear that she was longing to get to the nearest town to feed. It had taken us quite a while to catch up with the group of nomads that had driven us out of Forks. If Alice hadn't seen them killing our entire family and Bella then we probably would have stayed._

"_I'll never tell." She sang in an annoying sing-song voice that grated on my nerves. I heard a painful yell from less than a half of a mile away. I knew the voice did not belong to a member of my family and I was thankful for that. She thrashed in my grip,_

"_LAURENT!!" She screamed. One down, one in my grasp, one nowhere to be found. Her nostrils flared frantically as she writhed primitively on the ground beneath me. I growled at her, finally letting my animalistic side bleed through my carefully sculpted human façade. I felt like killing her without answers, I didn't care, I was furious that she was one of the reasons I had left Bella._

"_Tell me!" I yelled. She spit in my face and I shook my head back and forth to remove her filth from my face._

"_James will never be caught, he knows that he can outrun you and outsmart you. He's stronger, and more cunning that you can ever hope to be. The great Cullens, HA! You think your family is so great, you think you are so much better than we are just because you can abstain from human blood! It's only natural to crave it Edward!" That took me back a little,_

"_How did you know my name?" I growled. She let out a loud cackle,_

"_We know all about you Edward…we. know. Everything." She made it a point to drive those last three words home as she continued to laugh. I was slightly scared, I would never admit it. In that moment she was the most disgusting creature I had ever seen. I reached down and wrapped my fingers around her head, with a resounding rip her laughter was silenced._

**Bella's POV**

**--**

It had been such an exhausting day that I all I wanted to do was go get some dinner and a drink and watch a movie. I, technically, needed to grade papers but I was pretty sure 'vampire love interest randomly back on the scene' was grounds enough to ignore the pile of mistake ridden papers for the evening. The sky was beginning to darken as I pulled into the parking lot and, for once, I welcomed the darkness of the evening.

The rest of the day had gone alright. I hadn't seen any other Cullen siblings but, then again, I didn't exactly leave my room until the final bell of the day. My students were kind and I only had to raise my voice a couple times at the freshmen. Edward was never far from my mind, of course, and I wondered what he was doing at any given moment of the day. He promised me that he would be back in the morning and I really, sincerely, hoped that he kept his promise.

But, what would he say when he found out I had a boyfriend? What did I think now that Edward was back in my life? Would I just drop everything for him? Would he even ask me to? Had he moved on? For all I knew he had some vampire vixen held up in his room…someone as old as he was that could carry on an intelligent conversation with him. I was just a human, and, as much as I didn't want to admit it, he was probably better off with a vampire just like I was better off with a human.

I put my car in park, grabbed my overnight bag, and walked up he porch steps to my boyfriend's town home. Knowing him he had probably already eaten, but I was starving and ready for a night out. I was excited for a normal human night, full of normal human things. My news could wait for another day. I knocked twice and, when I didn't get an answer, decided to let myself in.

"Hey James? Are you ready to go? I'm starving!" I called as I shut the door behind me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: To clear up any confusion, please don't hate me too much…yes, it is James the vampire, and yes I realize that he normally wouldn't be able to get away with it…but this is a fan fiction and there are ways in which he is tricking Bella and no, I will not tell you ;D. Review as always please, and ENJOY!! I write for all of you (: **

**I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend **

**- Jill**

**Bella's POV**

**-----------------**

It was such a relief to be able to go out for a couple hours and be, basically, a nobody. I wasn't "Ms. Swan", I wasn't "Bella, sweetheart", I was just Bella. Normal Bella Swan, human girl, dating a human boy, who knew nothing of the vampire world whatsoever…and I was determined to keep it that way.

We had made our way back to James' town home around one in the morning. I knew I would be exhausted in the morning but at that time I couldn't care less. I had needed that night to try and clear my head of everything that had happened in such a short period of time. I had so many questions I wanted to ask Edward, so many things that I needed explained to me. I already had a long list in my head, one that had been growing for four years, and I was determined to get every single question answered thoroughly even if it meant tracking Edward down myself.

The obvious question was, of course, why he had left me in the first place. I wanted to know more than anything the answer to that question. I also wanted him to know what my life had been like in the days, weeks, months, and years since his disappearance. I wanted to know that I had cried myself to sleep on so many occasions, that I asked everyone in school, and that I had gone as far as to ask Charlie if he knew why they had left so suddenly. The answer I always received had been that Carlisle must have been offered an opportunity that he just couldn't refuse and the Cullen family had left immediately. But only I knew the real truth about the Cullens, that they were vampires and that something, supernatural in origin, had to have driven them away from Forks in a hurry.

"Bella?" James asked. I jumped a bit. I was sitting on his couch and he was across the room in his recliner. It was always awkward at night, he never wanted to snuggle on the couch or lay upstairs with me or anything like that. We just sat across the room for each other in silence, trying to make light conversation. Or at least I always tried, James wasn't one for small talk.

"Yeah, I'm fine…I guess I'm just tired, that's all. It was a very long day." I said. James chuckled his deep chuckle. To be honest, the deep, dark, chuckle that he had sent an odd chill down my spine.

"Get some rest Bella…you look tired." He murmured. My head was pounding, I had started getting headaches about two months prior, they mainly popped up at night and were annoying as Hell. I was probably just stressed out about student teaching and overly tired from all the paperwork I had to complete each week, or there may have been something in James' place that irritated my allergies giving me a headache. Now that I thought about it though, I was tired all of the time, morning and night. Also, Edward was now magically back in my life so I had even more to think about. The exhaustion I felt was overwhelming, but I still always had such a difficult time sleeping.

"I don't know, I'm not sure I can sleep." I said, playing with edge of my shirt. James was looking straight ahead at the television set, I wasn't even sure if he was truly paying attention to the program that flashed across the screen.

"I said get some rest." He said, a little harsher than was necessary. I jumped a bit, James was occasionally harsh but he always meant well, at least I thought. I looked at him, but he didn't look back, which I assumed to mean that maybe it was time for me to get some sleep.

"Are you going to sleep?" I asked him. He got up from the chair rather quickly and crossed to the closet. This type of behavior wasn't too abnormal for him, he was usually jumpy around me and could be rather short with me from time to time. But he did like me, at least I thought, and I liked him. I found him very attractive… at least I thought I did.

"No, I'm going to go for a walk…I'm feeling a bit restless." He pulled on his jacket. I mouthed 'oh' and the awkward feeling between us expanded. I looked at my backpack in the corner, aware that I would probably be better off sleeping back at my own apartment. I wondered if Chloe, my roommate, was home or if she was out like she typically was. I was never sure what she did while she was out, but I figured it was more of the risqué nature.

"I think I'll just go back to my place, I've got some papers to go through and you don't seem like you're really in a talkative mood." I said. James gave me a single head nod, he definitely wasn't in the talkative mood.

"I'll walk you out." he said. I would typically expect an apology for his harsh tone, but I didn't want to push him. He opened the door and I followed him out into the cool night. One awkward embrace and a set of "goodnights" later James was off on his walk and I was in my car on my way back to my apartment. The radio came in crystal clear for once as I zoomed down the highway. I felt strange as I drove, not sleepy but exhausted at the same time. So many thoughts and ideas were flowing through my mind that I found it easy to forget the road and just drive; I was so used to the drive to my apartment that my car seemed to be on auto-pilot.

I turned the volume knob up as "Lullaby" by the Spill Canvas began to play. The song was as clear as day, and it brought a flood of memories back to me in one swoop. The, the tears came. I cried because I was tired and my head hurt, I cried because I really didn't know why I was dating James but I still came to him whenever he called, I cried because I was so damn confused that it was terrifying, and I cried because, deep down I knew that I was still one hundred and fifty percent still in love with Edward Cullen. That the way my heart had sped up when I had first laid eyes on him in my class room had was due to more than just surprise. I needed to talk with him, I needed to figure out every aspect of what exactly was happening and, to be honest, I just wanted to touch him, I wanted to tell him how I felt and I wanted to know if he still felt the same way.

But what about James? It was an awkward feeling, the level of adoration I felt for James scarcely mirrored what I felt for Edward but there was still something there. Something strange, I mean we barely ever kissed, but there was still something there. We did the normal boyfriend and girlfriend things like going to the movies and going out to bars and…well I wore some of his t-shirts to bed when I needed to do laundry. I shook my head, there was no way in Hell that my situation could possibly get more complicated or any stranger than it currently was.

I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment to see Chloe's car parked in it's normal spot. It was strange for her to be home at night, she normally stayed inside during the day and either went "out" at night or to work. Though she got as little sleep as I did she was normally wide awake whenever I saw her, and always eager to hear about how my night with James went. But that night I really didn't feel like talking, I just wanted to curl up in my bed and rest.

No sooner had I put the key into the lock that Chloe was standing before me as wide awake as she could have possibly been. Chloe was tall and her hair was a deep purple that fell just at her shoulders. She was exotic looking and it always made me feel a bit self conscious whenever we went out together to meet James for something. She flashed me a smile, which was a little terrifying, and my head throbbed again reminding me of my headache. I offered her a small grin and stepped inside the apartment,

"Long night?" She asked. I groaned and put my bag down.

"Very, very, long day." I said. I didn't really feel like explaining why, it wasn't like she would understand, or believe me for that matter. A hot shower seemed like the perfect prescription for the day I had experienced and that's just where I was heading when Chloe stopped me,

"Did you have first day of teaching?" She asked conversationally. I wasn't sure if she really cared or not or if she thought it was the polite thing to ask. Like James, I couldn't always tell when Chloe was truly being sincere or not. I stopped halfway to my room and turned to face her,

"It was…eventful. I had a new student who caused me all kinds of trouble." I said. It wasn't exactly a lie. Edward was my new student and he had, in a way, caused me trouble. Four years later and I was still unbelievably dazzled by the boy. Chloe nodded as if she was at least trying to pay attention. Then came her usual follow up question.

"Did you see James? I thought you were staying over there tonight." She asked. I sighed, I was extremely exhausted and wanted to at least attempt to get some sleep before either my alarm clock or my nightmares woke me up. Instead of explaining that James had lost his temper somewhat and had decided to take a walk I decided to offer her a shorter explanation,

"I just decided it would be easier for me to get to school in the morning if I just stayed here." I said. She nodded again and stuck her small hands in the front pocket of her jeans.

"Well I think I'm going to go out for a bit…maybe take a walk." She said. What was it with people and walks all of a sudden? She gave me another strange smile and my head throbbed painfully,

"Yeah, okay, I have a headache so I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep. Don't forget your key, have fun." I told her. She said nothing else so I took that as my chance to flee to my room. I flopped down on my bed and never made it to the shower, instead I drifted off to sleep…but my nightmares weren't too far behind.

The images were the same, the forest, the mist, the darkness. Edward's voice was the same, screaming my name in an endless loop. Only one detail was different,

"BELLA, BELLA, ISABELLA!" Edward screamed in his loud, hoarse voice.

"EDWARD I'M HERE!!" I screamed in response.

For the first time since my nightmares had started I was able to respond to Edward's constant screams…

**Edward's POV**

**--------------------**

I was pacing back and forth across our living room. I had attempted to relax in my room for awhile but no amount of music or reading could sooth my mind. I was alone in the living room, Esme was in the kitchen, Rosalie and Emmett had gone hunting, Carlisle was at the hospital, while Jasper and Alice were upstairs. I didn't want to hear anyone's thoughts, I just wanted to think, so I did my best at cutting myself off from what was going on in our home. At least, to my relief, it was a quiet evening in the Cullen household. No projects, no games, no fights, just Esme humming a old melody as the radio played in the kitchen.

"Edward, darling, you're going to rub a hole in the carpet if you don't stand still." She said quietly from somewhere near the sink. I listened to her and switched direction, taking out my frustration and worry on a fresh patch of carpet. Esme put down her dish rag and walked over to me. Her hands were on my shoulders before I could object and she turned me to so that I could face her,

"Edward, listen to me, you are working yourself up over this encounter with Bella today. You're going to make yourself sick if you do not calm down and figure out a rational way of talking to her about everything." Esme whispered to me. I knew she was right, I was overreacting but, to tell the truth, Bella had surprised me so much that day and she shouldn't have. Alice, theoretically, should have seen it coming.

"I need to speak with Alice." I said. Esme released her hold on my arms, allowing me to duck out of her embrace and make my way towards the stairs. I needed to have Alice try her hardest to see into Bella's future, I wanted to know what was going on, if we were meant to stay here and if any troubles were on the horizon.

I made my way to Alice's room, my mind filled with thoughts of Bella. Everything about her, how she had looked when she had first laid eyes on me in her classroom. Her voice had sounded so sweet and melodic, like a familiar piano melody that I hadn't heard in four years but still could follow like it was second nature. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts of Bella that I completely forgot to knock on Alice's door. I turned to knob and let myself into Alice's room,

"Hey Alice I really need to talk to you about…AH!" I heard the moans before I saw anything. Which was probably a good thing because I was pretty certain that if I had seen anything I would had to have immediately gone to Italy and demanded that the Volturi kill me right then and there.

"EDWARD!" Alice screamed. I quickly put my hand over my eyes,

"YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME!" I yelled back. I heard Alice scoff and heard Jasper pulling up his pants somewhere in the corner.

"This was kind of a spur of the moment thing Edward! I typically don't get flashes of the future when Jazz just springs something like that on me so excuse me if you forgot the Cullen Golden Rule of 'KNOCK FIRST!'…asshead!" She yelled at me. Jasper chuckled a bit, which I guessed was my signal that the coast was clear. Alice stood in front of me fuming, her short black hair was sticking up in more places than usual and a small fire was burning in her eyes. I jumped at her fierce look as she stood on her tiptoes glaring at me,

"What exactly do you NEED Edward?" She growled. I swallowed a small lump in my throat,

"Uh…I just wanted to see if you could spot anything is Bella's future. Or mine as far as Bella goes. I just want to know what you can see." I said. Alice calmed down instantly. She knew that Bella was such a gigantic part of my existence and that it meant a lot to me to have her help.

"Edward, you know that it is extremely difficult to see anything in Bella's future. I've been so out of touch with her for so long that I doubt I can see anything." She said. I knew she was right, that it was a long shot to be able to see anything in Bella's future but I wanted her to at least try,

"What about if you tried to see Bella and myself? Could you try Alice, please?" I pleaded with her. I knew she would be able to say no. She rolled her eyes and skipped over to the couch. She sat down, cross-legged, and shut her eyes as she concentrated on the future. Jasper and I were silent for a few moments until she finally opened her eyes again. But instead of her normal, relaxed expression her eyebrows were pulled together and her face was full of confusion,

"What's wrong Alice?" Jasper said, noticing her worry right away. I stood by my brother who was bent down, rubbing Alice's hand,

"It's strange. It's like if I try and see the two of you together it's almost as if I'm looking through the bottom of a dirty glass. I can hardly see anything at all, it's all dark and unfocused. I'm not sure what's going on but it worries me…something is wrong Edward." She stared up at me, her eyes alight with confusion and fear.

For once we were truly blind as to what the future held for us.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews! I'm overwhelmed by everyone's words.**

**  
Reviews are nice! Almost as nice as Jasper.**

Edward's POV

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I thought that a hot shower might help. I hoped that the hot as Hell water would do something to clear my mind, but the steam only helped in clouding my already confused thoughts. I stood there in the shower, the water pressure trying it's best to penetrate my rock hard skin, doing my damnedest to forget everything. Maybe, if I forgot all the emotion that went with Bella I could better formulate a plan to explain everything to her and hopefully win her back.

She may have a boyfriend you idiot. My mind spoke to me, reminding me that I wasn't the only boy on Earth and that I definitely wasn't the only boy capable of finding Isabella Swan extremely attractive.

It was no use; there was no way I could clear away the way Bella made me feel. I wanted her; I needed her back in my life. She was the missing piece to my confusing jigsaw puzzle of an existence. I had tried other pieces; I hunted more to keep my mind from the slivers of my humanity that still remained intact, I threw myself into music, books, even helping Esme with her endless list of household projects. I tried any substitute for Bella that I could possibly think of. But, no matter how hard I pounded those pieces into place they never quite fit.

The water ran cold at last and I stood there a few moments longer, hoping that it would magically heat back up. I had ignored several knocks on the door and I was fairly certain there was a note from my brothers waiting for me. They meant well but it was hard for them to realize that I just didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. I exited the shower and toweled off, my skin didn't retain the heat that had been unleashed on it during my time in the shower and I already missed how the burning hot water had felt on my body as I stood in the open air of the bathroom. I pulled on a new pair of jeans and flipped off the bathroom light as I made my way from the bathroom to the safety of my own bedroom. The hallway was empty, and the downstairs quiet, as I snuck down the hall. I really didn't want to answer questions at the moment and I was fairly certain that my family had gotten the hint and either retired to their separate bedrooms for the night or were out for a last minute hunt before they day began.

I made it to my room and didn't even bother putting a shirt on. I fell back onto my couch and stared up at the ceiling enjoying the blissful silence that surrounded me. My environment was quiet, void of any type of sound whatsoever. Well, that wasn't entirely true; my room was silent but the house, no matter how hard my family tried, was not. I heard Jasper typing on his computer all the way down the hall on the left, I heard Carlisle chuckle and Esme giggle as the office chair in his study squeaked (I slightly cringed at that, not wanting to pry too far into what may be happening between my parents), and I heard the distinct sound of metal on metal as Emmett and Rosalie fiddled in the garage. That left Alice, my youngest sibling, my most trust ally, the one that was normally the loudest in the house, oddly silent. I couldn't hear anything from her.

I turned onto my side and stared out the window into the night. The familiar sound of the swing set squeaking met my ears instantly and I knew right away who was outside at this time of night swinging in the darkness. I stood from my couch and walked to large window,

"Oh Edward leave me alone." Her thoughts scolded me for attempting to intrude on her alone time. Then again, I knew she would always forgive me if I went out to talk to her, especially if I was coming to apologize for my actions. I was concerned that the way I had snapped at her earlier in the day had upset her and I did want to properly apologize to my sister for the way I had acted when she had tried her hardest to help. I slipped on a tshirt, jogged down the stairs, and out the front door into the dark night in search of Alice.

She was where I had seen her, sitting alone on one of the large swings we owned. Esme had purchased them in an attempt to get us out of the house and out her hair during the summer. Jasper, Emmett, and even myself were all too often found fashioning crude swings out of bed sheets, or gliders out of ropes and paint rollers, and Esme was never too keen on having these type of contraptions in the house so she bought us a swing set to try and persuade us to spend our adventuring time outside. We may have all been nearing our hundreds but we still acted like we were seven on most days. Alice was swinging slowly, back and forth, not as enthused as she normally was when she would use the way-too-big-for-her swing set. She stared at the ground looking as far away as I had ever seen her, and that worried me to the point of near fear. I knew she heard me approaching but she still didn't care to acknowledge me. We stood there like that, brother and sister, for the longest time. We were vampires after all; we really didn't have to worry about time being a factor. I stared up at the sky; it was beginning to lighten ever so slightly signaling the beginning to a new day. I would see Bella in a couple of hours and I wondered if she was still sleeping. If she was still asleep, was it in the arms of another man? I was beginning to marvel at my own ability to seem like a ridiculous, jealous, human man when Alice finally spoke.

"I don't get it Edward; I don't understand why I can't see clearly. I know that it has to have something to do with the fact that I'm not that used to Bella but still, I'm extremely attuned to you so I should be able to see the two of you together with some clarity. But I can't, I just can't, there is something out there, some kind of fog that is making it impossible for me to make a clear picture out of the entire situation and it's awful! I hate feeling completely useless and that is exactly how I feel right now! I feel, worthless, and broken, and human!" This all came out in one breath and I was thoroughly impressed. I knelt beside my sister and put my large hand on her small shoulder, she didn't shy away from my embrace,

"You are not useless. If you say that again I'm going to go tell Jazz and he will not be happy, you know that. You are a wonderful light in this family, we would be nowhere without your insight or your craziness. Do you honestly think that holidays would be nearly as fun without you excessive planning? As for the whole situation with Bella we will figure something out Alice. We're Cullens, we always figure out a way to make things work out for the best. Though, I'm still not thoroughly convinced leaving Forks was the greatest idea." She shot me a look, "Anyway, you can't beat yourself up over this, there is absolutely no point. You know very well that if you get too worked up you aren't going to be able to see anything clearly and you'll never get the answers you are looking for. You are brilliant, and you will figure it out, but it's not going to be easy and you're never going to get anywhere getting frustrated." I finished my little speech and was instantly attacked by Hurricane Pixie.

"Our family is amazing." She told me. I nodded in agreement, "And you are the best brother I could ever ask for." She continued. Just then Emmett and Rosalie came around the corner,

"I hear that!" Emmett yelled as he threw a dirty rag toward us. Alice caught it expertly and threw it back with twice the amount of force,

"No Emmett, you're the best sister I could ask for." Alice said as she stuck out her tongue. Emmett growled and Rosalie cracked up with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Jasper said as he made his way from the house toward the rest of us. I took a break from laughing at Emmett's expense to clue Jasper in,

"Alice just called Emmett a girl." I said. Emmett had been strangely silent as he glared at Alice,

"Hey Al?" Emmett said. Alice turned to face him from her perch on the seat of a swing,

"Yes sister?" She said through her laughter.

"Run." Emmett whispered. And with that the two took off across the backyard, Alice's screams filling the air. Rosalie, Jasper, and I followed.

"Emmett no, please! I just picked out this outfit! JAZZ!" Alice yelled from somewhere near the garage. We rounded the corner to find Emmett armed with a Super Soaker as Alice backed up across the side yard.

"Aw, come on Em, she was only speaking the truth. Esme always taught us that lying was bad." Jasper said, trying his hardest not to laugh. Emmett quickly turned the Super Soaker on Jasper and sprayed him down with freezing cold water.

"SHIT!" Jasper shout, shocked at the sudden attack. "NOT COOL MAN!" Jasper said though he was laughing. I decided it was time to jump to Alice's rescue,

"Come on Emmett, I'm sure Alice spent a long time picking out that dress. I'm sure you can borrow it when she's done as long as you don't stretch it too much!" I regretted my comments as soon as they were out of my mouth. Before I knew it I was just as soaked, if not more, than Jasper. Emmett let out a booming laugh and Alice tried to turn to run but he caught her anyway spraying her down so much that she looked like a wet cat. Her normally messy hair was plastered to her face and her dress clung to every part of her for dear life. She spit out water an incoherent saying, which I was fairly certain were swear words just said in a different language.

Rosalie was laughing so hard that she was on the ground. That's why she didn't see me sneak around the side of the garage and grab the hose. I snuck back around to find her still laughing, clutching at her sides,

"Oh don't think you're getting off that easy princess." I said before I began spraying her with the hose. Rosalie's laughter quickly turned to shrieks,

"EDWARD CULLEN YOU ASSHOLE!! I WORKED REALLY HARD ON MY HAIR!" She shrieked at me,

"I'm sure Emmett will help you get it back to perfection." I laughed as I released the lever on the hose. Just then Carlisle drove up; he was just getting off a night shift at the hospital. He got out of the car, a look of confusion evident on his face.

"I'm fairly certain I'm the only father that comes home to find his five children running around the yard at four in the morning. What on Earth in going on?" We all looked at our father, water dripped from all of us (even Emmett had gotten wet in the process), and there was only one thing we could think of doing. I raised the hose and Emmett pumped his super soaker. "Hey now, wait a second, I just got done with work." Carlisle began to back up,

"Good, then you're in need of a shower." Alice said. She pounced on Carlisle while myself, along with my brothers, unleashed a full fledged water attack on our father.

It was fun, it was light-hearted…if only we knew it was the calm before the storm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews! And I hope everyone had a very happy, and safe, Halloweenie!**

**Who is for lemons in the next chapter?? raise your hand ;D**

**Bella's POV**

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I woke up suddenly to the sound of my alarm clock's annoying tone. Rain was pounding relentlessly against the roof of the apartment signaling to me that there was positively no reason why Edward would not be in my classroom that morning. Unless I had been right and Edward was all a dream, in which case I should probably make an appointment to have myself committed to the nearest mental health facility immediately.

I extracted myself from my warm bed and made my way to the shower. The water was bitterly cold at first and I yelped audibly as it prickled my skin. Finally, the water warmed and my muscles relaxed as I began to slowly wake up from the sleep induced fog that descended upon me every morning. Thunder rattled outside and the fact that I could hear it all the way through the noise of the shower told me that a rather large storm was brewing. The thunder was comforting in a strange way; it made me think of Edward and I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps it was because I knew that if it rained Edward was able to venture outside without fear of the sun, that I would be able to see him face to face again. I wasn't sure why this made me so giddy, it wasn't like class was going to get any LESS awkward with Edward staring at me from his desk. I knew he wouldn't actual pay any attention to the material I was trying to present, he would be thinking about other things...maybe about how he could plot his next leave of absence. I prayed that he had been true in what he had said to me, that he would never leave me again but one could never be too cautious.

The water ceased to be warm and I took that as my signal that it was time to get ready for the school day. I exited the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. The apartment was silent as I made my way from the bathroom to my bedroom. Chloe's door was open and her bed was perfectly made, I half wondered where she went, but I simply assumed that she was out running chores in the early hours of the morning. Finally inside my room I proceeded to get ready for the day; I pulled on a pair of khakis, a blue tanktop, and a silver button up to go over that. I looked exactly like a teacher and I groaned at my appearance. I would need to go shopping soon, for more adequate teaching apparel, but for now this would have to suffice. I either had what I was currently wearing, slutty club clothes that James insisted I wear, or pajamas and since it wasn't pajama day at school I was stuck in what I was wearing. I sighed and attempted to do something to my crazy mess of hair that hung beyond my shoulders. I finally decided to curl the ends and put half of it up, it looked fine by the end with it but I was so nervous that nothing I did seemed to fit quite right.

Finally, after a small amount of makeup and a bit of lotion, I grabbed my messenger bag (which contained non-graded papers) and was out the door. The rain had not let up in the slightest and I swore outwardly that I hadn't had the foresight to purchase a new umbrella after mine had been ruined in a storm the semester before. I held my bag over my head and ran, as quickly as possible, to my car. After more swear words and a quick fix of my hair I was on my way to the high school in a torrential downpour that rivaled anything I had ever seen when I lived in Forks. My wimpy windshield wipers were no match for the massive amounts of rain that splattered against my windshield and it would have been a lie to say I wasn't afraid every moment of my commute. As I pulled into the parking lot, however, all my troubles melted away as I was able to make out the outline of a shiny silver Volvo parked expertly right next to my normal parking spot.

_He had kept his promise after all._

I let out contended sigh, put my car into park, and ran for the safety of the building. The final warning bell of the morning was ringing as I walked down the noisy hallway. The volume seemed to have increased tenfold from a normal day, mainly because of the sound of the relentless rain pounding against the roof and the noise the students' wet shoes made against the tile floor.

I was almost to my classroom door when a familiar voice sounded from behind me,

"Good morning Ms. Swan!" Alice cheered cheerfully. She startled me so much that I dropped my bag spilling the contents onto the wet floor. By the time I had bent down to pick them up Alice had already retrieved them and stashed them, quite orderly, back into my bag.

"Alice!" I said, surprised to see the small pixie of a vampire twirling beside me. I had never gotten to know Alice as well as I wanted to. I would've loved to have gotten to know all of the Cullens better than I had been allowed. But things change, life alters itself, and the time you thought would never run out slowly seeps through the cracks.

"I have to get to French but I just wanted to say hi and tell you how happy I am that you are student teaching here. I'm still trying to figure out why I didn't see it." She mumbled the last part almost incoherently and I had to strain my ears to make out her statement. She grinned at me, excitedly, gave me a quick hug and sped off before I could get a word out. I shook my head and turned to the door but a hand on my arm stopped me. Edward's cold hand caused the skin on my arm to prickle and I shivered as I turned to meet his gaze,

"Good morning professor." He said. The corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile and his expression was much happier than it had been the previous day. I wasn't sure if it was an act or not, simply because I could never tell with Edward, but I was glad to see that his mood had improved.

"I'm not a professor Edward…just as student teacher. Did you get the answers you needed?" I asked. He nodded once,

"Yes, it was a simple misunderstanding between father and son. Carlisle was just trying to protect our family and you from any danger that may have arisen anyway despite the fact that we left. That's why you never found a note." He whispered. I opened my mouth to say something but he opened the classroom door signaling for me to enter ahead of him. I stared at him for a moment, worry no doubt evident on my face, but he gave me a wink and I continued ahead of him hopping out of my role of "I'm in love with a vampire" and into the role of "I'm the teacher".

_Wait, did I think 'I'm in love with a vampire'? Preposterous…I loved James…at least I was pretty sure I did._

"Good morning class. I hope everyone made it to school alright this morning though a few of you look like you got caught in the downpour." I said as I scan the room seeing several of my students wringing out their hair onto the floor. I wrinkled my nose but didn't stop them, I'd be doing the same thing if I was in their situation.

"Ms. Swan do you have our papers?" One of the girls asked. I bit my lip, I hated that I didn't have them done but if they knew the real truth they would've probably understood.

"No, Maggie I'm sorry. I went out with my boyfriend last night and just lost track of time. I'll have them done by the end of the week I promise." I said. I saw Edward cock his head to the side and the smallest, but most heart wrenching, look of hurt flashed across his face. The worst part about it was that the look lingered in his amber eyes for a few moments longer. I wanted to spill my guts to him right then and there, explain to him that I still had feelings for him…

_Why in the hell did I keep doing that?! I was dating James…he was human he wouldn't understand._

I cleared my throat and went through the roll call as normal. I tried my best not to meet Edward's gaze the entire first half of the period, I knew it was a cowardly thing to do but I couldn't help it, I didn't want to chance seeing that look again. I was just finishing explaining how to do correct footnotes when there was a light knock at the door.

"Come in." I said. Alice skipped into the room and Edward's brows pulled together.

"Ms. Swan I'm sorry to interrupt but may I please speak to Edward for a moment? It's important." She stared straight at Edward as she said the last part of her sentence and an uncharacteristic look of fear flashed across her perfect features.

"Yes…of course Alice. Edward the bell is about to ring so just go ahead and turn in your assignment now." I said, trying to sound as teacher like as I could. Edward scribbled something at the top of the paper and handed it to me, then he and Alice were out the door as quick as they could. I stared at the paper as the bell rang and students filed out,

"_Come see me tonight…I'll explain everything._" It read. He had written his address below the message in elegant script. I smiled a bit, folded the paper, and stuck it in my bag. For some reason, knowing that I would see Edward later that evening brightened my day exponentially.

**Edward's POV**

It was strange to see Alice so rattled. She looked nervous and that fact alone made feel nervous. If it was one thing Alice hated it was not being able to see anything in anyone's future.

I just don't understand it Edward, I can't see anyone…it's like there is a dark cloud over everything, like a thick blanket of fog shrouding an even darker night. It's awful, truly awful. I can't see anything but I can sense that something is not right. I feel like something is coming, and whatever it is it is not good.

My sister was more serious than I had ever seen her, even more so than the night we had left Forks, and that was the one thing that terrified me the most.

"…Will we have to leave again?" I all but whispered as we stood together, outside of the school in the pouring rain. The rain didn't bother us, it was more comforting than anything. Rain meant clouds, and clouds meant our secret was hidden, we felt like we belonged when it rained.

"No. Whatever this is…it has to do with Bella too." The hair on the back of my neck stood up straight as soon as the words tripped out of her mouth. I didn't like the sound of that, and I prayed that Bella would hurry to our home that night.

Day passed into evening, too slowly for my liking. I had taken to pacing back and forth in our foyer. She had gotten off of school nearly six hours prior to my pacing and I was beginning to grow nervous. The storm hadn't let up at all and now lighting flashed sporadically outside, adding to danger. Bella may have been well aware of the vampire world but that didn't mean that she was immune to what mother nature had to offer.

Thunder crashed loudly which almost masked Bella's frantic knocking on our front door. I was there in an instant, but the smile that I had placed on my face melted into a look of terror as Bella's small form and terrified face met my mine.

"Bella…what in the hell? What happened?" I asked. She launched herself into my arms, trembling with sobs,

"Just kiss me, please." She whispered. I shook my head and held her back from me so I could get a better look at her. Her makeup was running down her face, she was sniffling and rain, and tears, ran down her face.

"Bella tell me…" She cut me off.

"Do you still care about me? Do you still have feelings for me?" She asked. Of course I did, I had never stopped.

"Of course." I whispered. She closed the gap between us,

"Then kiss me." She said. I couldn't help it, everything was telling me not to but her eyes told me that was all she wanted, it was all she needed, and I would never deny Bella of anything she needed.

My lips crashed against her hungrily and the entire rest of the world melted away…


	8. Chapter 8

**Edward's POV**

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Our lips crashed together in a frenzy that had been building for four long years. Bella's small hands found their way to my hair as she did her best to deepen our kiss. I longed to be closer to her than I ever had in my entire life and the fact that it was possible that she felt the same way lit a fire inside of me that burned with an intense ferocity that rivaled anything I had felt before. In that moment I didn't care who saw, I didn't care why she had wanted me to kiss her so badly, all I cared about was the fact that I was finally holding her once again flush against my body, holding on for dear life. Bella pulled on my hair, brining me closer to her (if that was even possible) and for the first time since she had walked into the door I took a deep breath.

_That was exactly what caused me to pull away._

A deep snarl ripped through me as a powerful, and slightly familiar scent hit me. I tore from Bella's embrace and quickly pulled her behind me ready to defend her from whatever evil was about to intrude upon our moment together. I felt primitive in that instant, like a predator protecting its prey from the other predators…or possibly a lover protecting his love from the evils of the world. Bella let out a small shriek at my sudden movement and I looked at her sharply noticing that the part of her arm I was clutching tightly was covered in fresh, deep purple, bruises. I growled again and loosened my grip on her making sure that I was still guarding her with all of my might. I sniffed the air again deeply, taking my time to assess the scent. That's why I realized something crucial…

_The scent was coming from behind me._

I wheeled around slowly to stare at Bella. The scent was radiating off of her intensely. She looked so small in that moment, her lower lip was trembling and the rain that had soaked her on her, no doubt rushed, trip over was dripping steadily onto the hardwood floor of our foyer. Everything rushed to me in a deafening wave of realization; someone, something, had attacked her…and Alice hadn't seen it coming. Someone had torn through Bella both physically and emotionally. Someone had broken down her carefully sculpted wall to hurt her. S_omeone had pissed me off. _

I spoke to her as slowly and as gently as I could, I didn't want to scare her and I didn't want to hurt her anymore than she was already damaged,

"Bella…what happened? Tell me please; please tell me right now before I…before I lose it from not knowing." I whispered. Bella sputtered tears and it broke my heart to see her in such a distressed state. I decided to take a separate approach, "Would you like to sit down Bella?" I asked. She nodded the slightest bit and I led her by the elbow to our plush couch. She was trembling as I sat her down and the sorrow that floated in her tear filled eyes was enough to shatter my undead heart in an instant.

"Bella, honey, please tell me…who did this to you, and why?" I asked, trying my hardest to keep my voice calm and even though a rage was quickly building inside of me one that would surely rear its ugly head the second the name of Bella's attacker was revealed to me.

Bella breathed deeply, trying her hardest to steady her quiet sobs. She looked up at me and whispered one name. If I hadn't been a vampire I wouldn't have heard it,

"James." She said. The name registered with me but I didn't believe it. It had to be some other James, some other creature by that name, it couldn't possibly have been the same vampire that I was certain my family had done away with years prior. But, scents didn't lie; the unmistakable scent of vampire did not lie, the way my stomach twisted into an instant knot told me that this was no lie. I could have jumped up, I could have gone into a rage, but I remained calm for Bella.

"Who is James?" I said through clenched teeth but I already knew who James was. I was more curious about the web of lies he had woven to make Bella fall for him, it had to be good. Bella sniffled and wiped her nose with a bruised hand, I tore a couch cushion slightly as my eyes fixated on the scrapes across her, otherwise perfect, skin.

"James is my boyfriend, or he was, I'm not sure what he is now. He's usually a pretty nice guy…I guess, I mean, he's kind of cold but he's…I don't know. I don't know what I saw in him. It's like I was in this cloud. I said I was going to see you; he wanted to know who you were and what you meant to me. I explained that we went to high school together and that I hadn't seen you in a couple of years, I didn't tell him your name and then I went to take a shower. I came out of the bathroom to get dressed and he was right there, he never gets that close to me and there he was right in front of me…it scared me." I growled instinctively at her words but I encouraged her to go on telling her story,

"I'm sorry Bella, forgive my reaction, go on please." I whispered. Bella swallowed and her voice shook as she continued,

"He demanded to know your name and when I said 'Edward Cullen' he flew into some kind of rage and he threw me against the wall. My towel fell down and, and, I've never felt so scared and exposed before and it terrified me. I tried to get away but he held my arms really tightly." The couch cushion tore even more as I listened intently to her story, my blood (well metaphoric blood anyway) was boiling and my teeth were clenched so tightly together that I feared they would shatter.

"Please Bella…" I whispered. Bella continued,

"He told me to say your name again, to tell him what I had said. I did and he slammed me against the wall even harder. I cried and told him to stop but he wouldn't, he held my wrists hard against the doorframe and when I tried to pull away I got scraped on the rough texture of the wood. It hurt and I cried but he told me to shut up. I did and when he asked me, one more time, to tell me what your name was I whispered it. I don't know how he heard me but he did and he didn't talk for a few minutes he…he just sniffed me, like he was some sort of weird bloodhound. Then he let me go and he ran off, I heard the door slam and I started sobbing and I knew I had to find you…I'm scared Edward." She whispered. I was scared, for the first time in…well Hell I had been scared since the moment we had left Forks and Bella far behind. I had been afraid exactly what was happening now, I was afraid of Bella being hurt and I realized that, no matter how I tried to distance myself from her, she would be hurt no matter what.

I didn't know what to do; I didn't know how to react. I had already destroyed one couch cushion as I sat listening to Bella recite the events of her night to me. I wanted to cry, but no tears would come. The only thing I could think to do was to cradle her against my chest. So that's what I did. I reached across the couch and pulled her swiftly against me. I didn't need to tell her it would be okay because, to be honest, I wasn't sure if it ever would be.

Bella collapsed against me and sobbed. I didn't deserve to have such a creature in my presence; I didn't deserve to be breathing the same air as her. Still, here I was, doing my best to console her against the storm that was raging not only outside my family's home but in Bella's very life. I ran my hand over Bella's soft hair and place a small, comforting, kiss against her head and in that small moment I felt the slightest bit of relief; s if we could overcome any storm that knocked us around, like we were finally united once again. I would fight a war single handedly for her, I would die a thousand mortal deaths for her, it wasn't any secret that I still loved her…I only hoped that she still loved me.

.

"I'm so tired." She whispered after I had been cradling her for nearly five minutes. It was a wonder my family hadn't come down the stairs and I half wondered if I had missed them leaving to go hunting. Maybe they were giving us privacy, maybe they weren't home, or maybe they knew something I didn't.

"Would you like to take a shower?" I asked her. She raised up, her eyes were puffy and red but were now dry. "Alone of course." I added. She chuckled a bit, nervously but still it was a laugh,

"Yes please." And with that I allowed Bella to use our shower and towels and clothes that I borrowed, inconspicuously, from Esme's closet.

I let her take as long as she needed. I didn't want to rush her, but I kept a vigilant ear to the door just in case she broke down again. I paced mostly, trying to wrap my head around everything that Bella had told me. I didn't want to pry anything from her, I would give her the night, but I needed to take action…my family needed to know. But the morning would come, and we would decide then.

Finally, Bella entered my bedroom wearing the clothes I had set out for her. Comfy sweatpants and oversized tshirts a Bella Swan favorite. She crossed to me and I stopped my incessant pacing.

"Thanks Edward, I feel much better…I'm….I'm sorry for…for anything…" I could see she was trying her hardest not to break again, not to start crying, but she couldn't help it…and I couldn't help how I felt. I couldn't stop any feelings I had as I saw her trying her hardest not to sob, it was obvious I had caused some of that pain and it was obvious what I had to do to fix it. I needed to prove I loved her. Against my better judgment I took Bella in my arms and kissed her like I had never kissed her before. She wrapped her arms around me, stronger this time than before. She didn't pull away, she didn't want it to stop anymore than I did, she wanted this…she wanted me.

My inner monster reared it's ugly head as our kiss deepened. I was being reckless and I knew it but in love there was no safety net and I was determined to fall as hard as possible. I held her against me as I backed up to the couch, she made no move to stop me though I gave her every opportunity to. Finally, I slowly fell back onto the cushions bringing her down on top of me. I wanted to make her feel special, make her feel like I cared, like someone cared, I wanted her to know that I wouldn't hurt her…

But there was no guarantee that I wouldn't. I could kill Bella so easily and I would have been lying if I said my inner monster urged me to do so. I didn't want to kill her, I wanted to protect her.

It was possibly, though, that in doing one…I would achieve both.


	9. Chapter 9

**My sincerest apologies that it has been a month since I updated. School got in the way of everything I've been trying to accomplish as far as writing goes. I really should be studying for my Latin final right now but I thought I would update instead. Please read and review like you always do! And I hope everyone has a happy holiday no matter what you celebrate. **

**Edward's POV**

**-------------------**

I couldn't allow myself to let this go any further. Venom was pooling in my mouth faster than I could swallow it and I was beginning to grow extremely nervous, fearing that I wouldn't be able to stop myself if I gave into temptation…if I bit her.

"Bella, we have to stop. We have to stop now." I said in between kisses. Her hands were fisted in my hair as she clung to me. I wondered if it was more than just a physical gesture or if, perhaps, her desperate clinging was a projection of how she actually felt. Was it possible that Bella was trying desperately to cling to the past she once knew? A past that involved me, my family, and her as a seventeen year old girl. A past that involved the two of us on teetering on the edge of falling in love. I would let myself believe that yes, it was indeed possible if not probable.

"Why?" She whispered. She already knew she was defeated, I could sense it in the tone of her voice but she insisted on asking anyway.

"Because if we don't stop now, I'm going to kill you." I said seriously. I could feel it come, I could feel the monster attempting to rip through me. I couldn't allow that to happen, I wouldn't allow it to happen. Not tonight, not ever.

"Do it." She said. Her request was as clear as day and just as heartbreaking. I stopped mid kiss with my hands grasping her at by the sides. I stared up at her, disbelieving and terrified.

"What are you telling me Bella?" I said firmly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her hair nervously. I could tell that she knew exactly what she had meant by her statement, she was just too nervous to fully explain it to me. "Tell me Bella, what's been going on? What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"Come on Edward, you're smart, surely you can figure out that my mortal life really isn't going that well. I feel confused constantly, like I'm living in this thick fog that just won't lift. The minute I saw you, it was like I could see again. Edward, I'm so confused I don't know why I'm with James." I growled when she said James, an instinct that I wasn't going to attempt to control.

"Bella, we'll fix it. We'll fix everything but giving up your mortality the second I'm back in your life doesn't seem like that good of an idea." I told her. I was terrified, I didn't want to kill her but I wanted her forever. Bella sighed, she looked exhausted and fragile in the moonlight that it would have driven me to tears if I were able to cry. She bit her lip for a moment as she concentrated on a spot on the ceiling. I knew she was trying her hardest to look anywhere she could besides my face. "Hey, look at me…please." I asked her gently. She stared back at me,

"Will you please just…kiss me? I won't ask again. Just please kiss me." She asked. I couldn't deny her that. I kissed her again, softly this time, trying to control the undeniable hunger I felt. Unfortunately, it escalated just as quickly as it had the previous time and I found myself struggling to resist the urge to kill her. Maybe that was her plan, maybe she was trying to drive me to the edge.

"Stop it Bella. Bella, we need to stop." She wouldn't budge. She was relentless in her attempts to get me to end her mortal life. I kissed her again, and I could feel my hands tightening on her waist, ideas of killing her were beginning to spring into my mind. It was like the first day I had seen her all over again, her scent slamming into me like a tidal wave. It wouldn't take any time at all and she would barely feel a thing. It could all be over so quickly…

"NO!!" I roared and I was suddenly across the room backed against my bedroom door. I heard Bella fall with a soft 'oomph' to the couch. I looked up to the ceiling as if it would give me some magical answer as to what to do. I needed to relax, I wanted to bolt but I didn't want to leave Bella alone. I feared that James lurked somewhere in the night, though I was certain that I would be able to hear his thoughts if he did.

I felt like I was going to lose control, I felt like everything that had been missing for four years was finally right in front of my face. I had to give Bella some answers. The storm was still raging outside but, for some reason, in that moment I could care less about keeping Bella dry and out of the rain. I had to tell her why we had left, I had to tell her how all that I felt…

In a moment I was back over to her. She hadn't said anything since I had dashed across the room, she was merely sitting on the couch watching me. I had an idea and I needed to act on it before I backed out totally. Without saying a word I grabbed Bella by the wrist and quickly hoisted her onto my back,

"Edward what are you doing?" She asked me. I let a small smile soften my expression.

"I'm showing you the man the monster wishes he was." I whispered and with that I threw open the doors that led from my room to the second floor patio…and then I was running.

Bella was clinging to me with all her might as I dashed through the downpour that was consuming the night. I couldn't help but grin as I ran through trees and underbrush with Bella perched atop my back. I was grinning wildly; I had her back in my life, the one I had missed so greatly. It was refreshing to be able to run, mainly because the rain was doing a nice job of whisking away Bella's scent so that I could think clearly.

"Edward, I'm scared…" She said as I continued to bound deeper into the dark forest. I wasn't sure where my destination was exactly, I was running to run as far as I was concerned. Whether or not I was actually running from something remained a mystery.

"You're perfectly safe but I can stop if you'd like." I told her, hoping she heard me over the sound of the storm.

"Yes, please." She said. I slowed to a nice jog that eventually turned into a walk. I stopped moving altogether eventually and Bella dropped safely from off my back. The rain was pelting both of us, so much for trying to find a dry place outside…but I really wasn't concerned with that. Not now. Not when I needed to think clearly, not when I needed to confess to her…

"Why did you leave?" She asked after a few moments of the two of us just staring at each other from a safe distance. She spoke loudly over the roar of the storm that seemed like it would never end. I wanted to blame Carlisle, point fingers and tell her that it was all his fault but that wouldn't have been fair. Because, in the end, Carlisle had been right to agree to let us leave. I couldn't blame Alice either, 'Don't kill the messenger', she was only ever the bearer of bad news…it was never her fault.

"Bella, we left because we had to." I responded, not daring to move any closer.

"But you never called! You never wrote!" She cried. I knew this was coming, I didn't want her to cry, I didn't want her to be upset but I had to tell her.

"I left you a letter but it had to be destroyed. Bella, please believe me when I tell you that we left because there were dangers coming that were beyond our control. Alice saw them, she reacted as she saw fit…Carlisle agreed and decided that it was best that we left. We were trying to protect you please believe me Bella. It was for the best, we weren't trying to be selfish, we didn't mean to hurt you. I promise you that we left for good reasons. Please Bella, believe me!" I begged her. She shook her head back and forth, it was unclear if she was telling me 'no' or trying to dissuade tears from showing themselves.

"Who was coming?! Who could possibly have been so evil that you didn't think you could handle them? You're vampires!" She said. I ran my hand through my disheveled hair.

"There are vampires out there that even my family can't handle. Alice saw danger, she saw death, she saw a fight and you smack dab in the middle of it. I couldn't allow that to happen, I couldn't because…" I wasn't sure if I should say it or not, I didn't know if I could bring myself to confess it simply because I was quite afraid of what her reaction would be.

"Because what Edward? Because I wouldn't understand?! Because I'm not smart enough?! Why would you leave me?! It's been four years! Tell me why!" She demanded. I didn't know if she was angry or scare or both. There was no turning back, not from this,

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" I shouted. "I LOVE YOU! I'm a vampire, I drink blood, I live forever, I fucking sparkle in the sun, and I LOVE YOU!" I shouted. Bella seemed slightly taken aback. Like I had just hit her with a rock.

"What?--" She fumbled with words,

"I love you. I love you, I care for you, I want to kill you every time we kiss but I love you more than I can express. I cannot tell you how hard I'm trying for you, I'm trying to keep this monster at bay, to keep the vampire inside of me from making his presence known. I want you, no--, I NEED you to understand that we left for a reason, we left to protect you, I left because if you would have died I would have died along with you…but we never would have been together . You deserve Heaven Bella and all I'll ever have to offer you is Hell." I said. She stared at me for a minute or so, not caring in the least that rain was drenching the clothes she had just put on. I wanted to read her mind, I wanted to know every thought she was having.

She crossed to me, rather quickly and the next thing I knew we were face to face. She wasn't afraid, she hadn't run screaming nor had she tried to hit me.

"I choose the fire." She said simply.

"What?" I asked. The rain continued to pelt us but I felt nothing but her eyes on me,

"I'd rather go down burning with you, and for you, then spend eternity in something called 'Heaven' without you." She said. I couldn't believe what she was telling me,

"Bella? Do you--" She cut me off, finishing my sentence for me,

"I love you." She confessed. She loved me, she returned the feeling, she didn't hate me like she should have. I felt changed in that moment, I felt different, I felt whole and I felt happy.

"What are you saying?" I whispered through the rain.

"I want to burn." She said and then her lips were on mine. We were kissing and the monster was silent. Her hands found their refuge in my hair once again and this time I didn't stop her. I laid my hands on the small of her back and pushed her against me. This time I wasn't afraid for some reason, I felt in control. Our kiss escalated and soon she had me flush against a tree and we were pressed as close together as we could find ourselves.

'She loves me.' was all I could think in my mind…perhaps that was what kept the monster at bay.

Suddenly though I tore away from her. Alice's thoughts were screaming at me, demanding my full attention. I growled at my sister though I knew she couldn't hear me,

"What is it? What's wrong Edward?" Bella asked breathlessly.

"_Come home Edward…Now." _Alice's thoughts repeated over and over. I didn't know what was going on…but whatever it was, it wasn't good.


	10. Chapter 10

**Edward's POV**

I didn't want to leave the safety net of the trees that Bella and I had found ourselves in. The kiss had been too perfect and leaving the location of said kiss only posed the risk of everything falling apart again. But Alice's voice had been too frantic to ignore so I had reluctantly hoisted Bella on to my back and took off back in the direction of our house.

"We'll go back there soon…I promise." I said as I streaked through the underbrush. Bella hung on tight, resting her head against my shoulder. I half wondered if she was asleep or not and I took great care to make it a smooth run back to the house.

It was strange but felt whole and happy as I ran back to our home. I knew that something bad awaited us ahead, I knew that something was wrong and that it had made Alice upset, I knew that there would ultimately be consequences but still, as I ran with Bella I felt perfectly at ease.

And that would be something I would hold with me in the moments to come.

My feet found the floor of our deck and I paused for a moment outside trying my best to try and sense any irregularities around me. There were no new cars parked in the driveway, there were no screams coming from the house, all was silent but there was a new scent wafting lightly on the breeze. It belonged to a female vampire who had recently fed and who was currently fearing for her life.

"Bella?" I whispered.

"I'm awake." Her voice was gentle as she slid off my back and came to stand next to me.

I stared into her beautiful brown eyes. She didn't look afraid, she looked happy and warm. Her cheeks were pink even though I knew she had to be freezing due to the rain.

"What's the matter did Alice say?" She asked. I shook my head and smoothed her hair back from her face,

"She didn't say. Whatever it was it made her sound nervous and pissed off all at once." I said. I would have been content to stand on the deck and admire Bella all night but it was crucial for me to see that she got into a dry pair of clothes and I wanted to know what had upset my sister so much.

I opened the door to our home and walked in with Bella right behind me.

"Alright Alice what's the…" I stopped dead in my tracks and let out a primitive growl. I stuck out my arm and permitted Bella from going forward.

The female that was seated in front of me let out a wild hiss. My family stood around her looking as angry as I had ever seen them and Alice was the most livid of all,

"Who is she?" I asked through gritted teeth. Bella peered out from around me and I heard her let out a small gasp,

"Chloe." She breathed. I growled again,

"You know her?" I asked. Bella nodded and I could almost feel the fear rush through her,

"She's a vampire?" Bella asked in disbelief. Chloe was struggling against Jasper's iron grip. He had her arms pinned behind her back and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Very observant, bitch." Chloe bit out. Emmett didn't even look at her but merely pointed the fire extinguisher he was holding in his hand in her direction and gave it a good spray. The female screamed and sputtered as my brother smirked.

"How did I…How did I not know? Her eyes were…brown I thought." Bella was obviously confused as was I.

"Well it seems that CHLOE here has the ability to not only confuse every human in her vicinity but she can also BLOCK everyone's powers." Alice was very angry. If it was one thing my sister hated (besides girls wearing furry boots with shorts) it was not being able to see anyone's future,

"And you'll never guess who she is working with." Rosalie added.

"James?" I asked. My figurative blood was beginning to boil and Bella looked like she was about to throw up,

"James? As in my James?" She whispered. I turned around to her, turning my back on Chloe for the first time. Bella looked upset and scared and I wanted her to go upstairs far away from Chloe and far away from the conversation I was sure my family, Chloe, and I were going to have.

"Bella…somehow, I'm not sure how, James fooled you into thinking he was a good guy." I tried to whisper, I tried to sound calm, but I knew I sounded angry.

"He's a vampire? He's-he's…oh god. You know him?" She was starting to fall apart,

"Well it's not like you haven't loved a vampire before." Rosalie said,

"Rose!" Emmett barked.

"I'm just saying…" Rosalie trailed off.

"James is the reason we left Forks. He and a couple other nomads were the evil that Alice saw. For some reason, and I guess we know now that it was Chloe, Alice didn't see him coming back. She didn't see him getting closer to you and acting like he loved you. I'm so sorry Bella." I told her. She looked ill,

"I feel…violated. You acted like you were my friend." She said coming forward to stare at Chloe. The girl just stood there in Jasper's tight grip and looked like she couldn't have cared less,

"Bella I think it's best if you go upstairs and shower. Put on some warm clothes maybe." I whispered to her. I didn't want her to be upstairs by herself but I sure as hell didn't want her to be downstairs in the potential line of fire,

"…Sure…I think maybe you're right." Bella seemed a bit dazed and I wondered if she was going to be sick.

"Esme would you mind going with Bella please? Just sit in my room while she's showering so she's not completely alone up there?" I asked. Esme glanced at Carlisle for a moment, my father nodded quickly and Esme gladly walked forward and took Bella from me,

"Come on Bella, we'll get you some warm clothes." Esme smiled like the mother she was and guided Bella up the stairs.

"Edward?" Bella asked when she was half way up the stairs.

"Yes Bella?" I asked with concern coloring my voice.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you." I told her with a small smile. And then they were gone up the stairs and out of my view.

"You listen to me and you listen to me very well Chloe." I said leaning face to face with the female. "Tell me where James is and we'll see about letting you go. But if you continue to think that he loves you and that you should be loyal I'm going to let my brother's here snap your head off." I was being rough, I knew that but I had a lot of pent up anger when it came to the subject of James and I really wasn't joking around.

Then, Chloe's angry, resentful face melted into mess of sobs,

"I don't want to do this anymore." She wailed. I backed off a bit and stood up straight,

"What are you saying?" Carlisle said. Carlisle was always as delicate as he could be when it came to situations like the one we found ourselves in. He didn't like to kill, no matter how much the creature deserved to be slaughtered.

"I don't want to be awful anymore. I'm tired of killing humans, I'm tired of being a pawn. Please just let me go, I'll tell you anything you want to know." She sobbed but I couldn't hear her thoughts.

"Jasper--" Carlisle began to say but I held up my hand for a moment,

"How do we know she's not lying?" I said. Alice let out a growl in agreement,

"Don't believe her, don't listen." Alice said.

"I promise, I'm not lying. Please, you're hurting me." She cried.

"Jasper just loosen up a bit maybe." Carlisle said. Jasper looked at me and I made the biggest mistake by nodding.

Jasper loosened his grip just a bit and Chloe was able to tear out of his grasp. In a half a second she had Alice pinned on the ground,

"Don't! Don't even think about moving. Trust me, I can kill her in a split second and it wouldn't even phase me." Chloe's voice was nothing but acid. Jasper let out the fiercest growl I had ever hear,

"LET. HER. GO." He said, his voice loud and menacing.

"Why should I?" Chloe spoke in a sing-song tone and I wanted to kill her.

Alice let out a scream as Chloe's hands wrapped around Alice's head.

"JASPER! JASPER!" She screamed,

"What are you doing?! What's happening?!" Jasper yelled,

"Jasper I can't see anything! It's dark and cold. Jasper?!" Alice was crying in pain.

"LET HER GO!" Carlisle shouted.

"If any of you make any sort of move towards me I'll kill her right now, you won't be able to stop me I promise." Chloe said as casually as if we were talking about the weather.

"I'll rip your fucking head off." Jasper growled. Everyone in the room was crouched, ready to fight, except for Alice who was still screaming in pain on the floor.

"Please, let my sister go. What do you want? Tell me what you want." I whispered trying to get Chloe to let her go. Just then I heard his voice and I was surprised that I didn't decapitate him in a split second,

"Same thing I want Edward…revenge."

.


End file.
